I have been using my Premier kit and the hardware I bought with it for just under a decade now. It's been good and reliable, but it's starting to fall apart. I have no allegiance to Premier particularly, so I thought I'd see what people prefer when it comes to hardware.

I've been using double braced stuff so far, but it's fairly simple in design. I'm not big into the over-complicated DW hardware for example. I'm after durable, reliable and fairly compact stands. The first thing I need to replace is my Hi-hat stand. I play pretty much every style bar heavy rock and so on, so I don't need super heavy stuff...

I swear by Yamaha stands. I have used the same 700-series stands I bought with my Stage Custom first-gen kit for 17 years now, with absolutely no issues whatsoever. These are single-braced stands that outperform some companies' double-braced stands. I have suspended a 14" and 16" tom, a ride cymbal, an 18" heavy crash, and a 20" china on one of these stands before with no issues whatsoever.

I have also heard great things about Ludwig's new Atlas lines. I will be looking into their Standard offerings soon. I have also used stands from across Gibraltar's lines with no complaint whatsoever.

I personally use lightweight flat-base ludwig cymbal stands and a Yamaha hi-hat stand. If you are looking for durable and not too expensive check out the Yamaha stuff. I have a whole set of their stuff and it has been going strong for about 10 years now.

I know you said you don't need the heavy DW stuff but I recently bought a DW 9500 Heavy Duty 2-leg hi hat stand and next to my shells it is the best purchase I ever made. The difference in quality between my old cheapie hi hat stand and pedal and this one is remarkable and was well worth the price.

I know you said you don't need the heavy DW stuff but I recently bought a DW 9500 Heavy Duty 2-leg hi hat stand and next to my shells it is the best purchase I ever made. The difference in quality between my old cheapie hi hat stand and pedal and this one is remarkable and was well worth the price.

This is easy. Yamaha is IMO the most respected and often praised brand for hardware. Both on the shells and for cymbal / drum stands, they are outstanding. Well constructed, well designed and incredibly strong.

I have Sonor too, but Yamaha are a bit better designed IMO. Ive never so much as had a wing nut strip in 27 years. (Didn't gig for 8 of those admittedly)

I use the Gibraltar 5600 series hardware and have had the current setup for about 8 years with no issues. It goes out most every weekend. The 5600 series is medium weight so it is light when compared to some so easier to carry around. Excellent build quality makes it a must for consideration.

Yamaha 600 series hardware is lightweight, strong, and durable. It's single-braced, yeah, but very sturdy. If you feel compelled to get double-braced hardware, I would suggest getting some used Pacific hardware. It's pretty lightweight compared to most double-braced hardware out there, and PLENTY durable. No need to spend 4x as much on DW hardware (new prices) and they are plentiful in the used market...

Looks like this thread is dormant now, but I'll chime in nonetheless with another vote for Yamaha, specifically the 600 and 700 series stuff.

I like hardware to be simple but elegant. When I look at a drum set I want to see drums and cymbals and not have my attention drawn to big, bulky stands with big, bulky clamps and massive boom arms. It's a musical instrument, not a construction site!

And importantly, the Yamaha stuff is always solid enough while still weighing relatively little.
I get all my stands into one case which I can move around without breaking my back.
If you move your gear around even just once a week, weight should definately be a consideration.